Thai ruling party vows to overcome court losses
Posted: 09 July 2008 1916 hrs

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BANGKOK - Thailand's ruling People Power Party vowed Wednesday to overcome a series of stinging court losses that threaten to undermine the government, saying that "the people still support us."

Party spokesman Kudep Saikrajang told reporters that the six-party governing coalition was unshaken by the court rulings, which have given new ammunition to the government's critics amid fresh worries over a military coup.

"We have assessed the current situation and we agreed that we will move forward, because the people still support us," Kudep said after a meeting of party executives.

In the latest blow to the government, the Constitutional Court on Wednesday removed health minister Chiya Sasomsub from office, saying he had illegally concealed his wife's assets upon taking up his post.

The order followed two other bruising legal defeats on Tuesday, when the Supreme Court found the People Power Party (PPP) deputy leader Yongyut Tiyapairat guilty of vote fraud in elections last December.

The ruling revoked his seat in parliament and paves the way for a broader investigation of the party that could result in its dissolution.

The Constitutional Court also ruled on Tuesday that the government had violated the constitution by failing to seek parliament's approval before signing a deal with Cambodia over a disputed temple on the border.

That verdict opened the door to impeachment proceedings against the entire cabinet.

The opposition Democrat Party said Wednesday it already has enough support in parliament to move to impeach Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama.

Democrat spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon told AFP that the party was still trying to determine whether it would seek to impeach the rest of the cabinet.

The rulings have compounded the challenges facing the five-month-old government, which is closely aligned with billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a coup nearly two years ago.

Royalist protesters from the so-called People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have rallied against the government every day for nearly seven weeks. The PAD spearheaded protests against Thaksin in the runup to the coup in 2006.

The latest protests have generally stayed small, but they exert a major influence because they are seen as the voice of Thailand's elite, which despises Thaksin.

Thaksin swept into power in 2000 on the back of a wave of support from Thailand's impoverished but populous heartland.

Those voters supported Thaksin's successors in the PPP in December polls, bringing his allies back to power after more than a year of military rule.

Fears of a new coup, which have swirled through Bangkok for weeks, mounted Tuesday when a top military adviser, General Phathompong Kasornsuk, appeared in full uniform on stage at a PPP rally to condemn the government for signing the temple deal with Cambodia.

The army chief, General Anupong Paojinda, later denied that the speech indicated the military was planning a takeover.

"The military will not stage a coup. Political problems must be solved through politics, and a coup will not solve any problem," Anupong told reporters.

But the turmoil has raised questions about how long Samak's government can survive amid soaring inflation and slowing economic growth.

The instability has battered the Thai stock market, with share prices on the main Stock Exchange of Thailand index down more than 17 percent since the protests broke out.


- AFP /ls